Keeping fish in a tank or aquarium is a hobby enjoyed by many people. Such aquariums serve many purposes. Not only do they form a centerpiece for room decor, but they are a calming and soothing visual device as well. As with many hobbies, tank owners are constantly looking for new and exciting developments associated with the hobby that they can utilize to customize and decorate their tank. In the past, such developments have centered on accessories and plants placed in the water. With the advancement of fiber optic technology, more interesting possibilities exist, including illumination for aquarium fixtures and objects.
Several attempts have been made in the past to provide ornamental light inside an aquarium. U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,059 issued in the name of Hwang provides for a fiber optic, variable light source using an ornamental color wheel to decorate fixtures inside an aquarium. This patent places the lamp source on the exterior of the aquarium with the optical fiber units inside. The light would be projected through the glass wall of the tank to match the fiber bundle and color wheel located in the tank and underwater. The lighted fiber optic strands would then proceed to the decorative fixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,746 issued in the name of Kao provides an artificial tree, or similar foliage, having at least one bundle of optical fibers. This patent has a light source at the proximal end, directed toward the distal end where the fibers are sharply bent, to create a unique effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,215 issued in the name of Giattino et al. describes a laser light device having an external power supply that is waterproof, allowing it to be placed within the aquarium and to project a laser light beam through the water. The laser can be mounted within a fixture, and projected from the fixture, for reflections throughout the tank while interacting with the fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,071 issued in the name of Baumberg et al. discloses an aquarium lighting system for illuminating the interior of an aquarium. The primary focus of this patent is to create underwater patterns by using lengths of flexible electroluminescent filaments with power provided by an external to the aquarium, conventional electrical supply.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,469 issued in the name of Mathias et al. describes an aquarium lighting system for in-tank, underwater illumination. The method of illumination is that of an insulated low-voltage wire, energizing a waterproof, light-emitting diode (LED) lens. The LED is then attachable to a fixture or object by means of a tie wrap or suction cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,421 issued in the name of Guastella describes a decorative fiber optic lamp. A motor and a color wheel located above the light source allow for a cycle of blended color changes. This patent is representative of other fiber optic light fixtures that wholly reside outside an aquarium or other water tanks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,228 issued in the name of Boyle discloses an illuminated aquarium landscaping system having a plurality of terrain levels and underwater objects. The base of the water tank is transparent. Attached to the transparent tank base is a light compartment. Within the light compartment resides a switched light source that projects lamp light up through the tank's transparent base, to illuminate decorative objects and fixtures that are underwater.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,056 issued in the name of Ruthenberg discloses an apparatus for producing a fiber optic illuminated waterfall. This patent includes eight separate embodiments to accomplish decorative lighting effects for cascading water.
None of the prior art particularly describes the method of ornamental lighting of underwater fixtures and objects within an aquarium or similar tank by means of a fiber optic strand bundle comprised of an external light source, motorized color wheel and an external power supply that can be placed within the water tank at any time.